Sleepover, Pt 1
by Treistan
Summary: When anarchists threaten her life, Inspector Tsunemori finds the best defense is not a Dominator, but a good hunting hound at her feet.


_Akane Tsunemori. Inspector Tsunemori_ , Kogami reminded himself. There was a clear delineation between their ranks: the huntsman and the hound. It was a line that, at least for him, grew thinner and more difficult to find the longer they worked together at the Ministry of Welfare.

She stood outside the door to his quarters just staring at the wall. One tap on the console would have announced her presence. Instead, her hands were clutched anxiously in front of her. The right one was bandaged in gauze, injured from the night's mayhem. Another bandage partially covered her eye where a latent criminal had successfully taken aim with his fist.

Though his Dominator had not judged the man fit to die, Kogami had brandished his own justice before pulling the trigger. He doubted the criminal would ever raise that fist against anyone ever again, at least not without extensive surgery to repair the damage.

Akane was still dressed in the rain-soaked clothes she had been wearing when the perp knocked her off the causeway into the drainage pool. After shattering the man's hand and paralyzing him, Kogami had found her clinging to a maintenance ladder. Fortunately for both of them, it was just rainwater from the recent storm. Still, there was a musty odor to it. His own clothes carried a hint of it from where he carried her to the medical drones to get checked out.

Though young, the Inspector was tough and getting tougher on the job, but this case had set her back. She got too close to where the dogs do their best work and learned that she, like all Inspectors, was mortal. There was a frightened, shell-shocked glaze over her eyes, which were usually lively and brilliant with optimism. He wondered what her psycho-pass looked like now.

 _Somewhere near clear and powder blue_ , he surmised. The scanners within the building would have flagged her otherwise.

His usual antics were generally enough to rouse the color in her cheeks; so, he struck a pose in the doorway. With one hand on his hip and the other pressed against the frame, he cued the control panel to open the door. "Can I help you, Inspector Tsunemori?"

She was startled by the abrupt opening of the door and stepped back in fear. "Mr. Kogami?" she replied in a small voice. "May I—may I come inside?"

Unsettled by the fragility in that voice, Kogami took a cautious step to the side. He had let the culprit off too quickly, far too quickly for the amount of pain the man had caused his handler. "How's the head?"

"Fine," she whispered. Walking by him slowly and with deliberate steps, she grasped the collar of her wet jacket and pulled it tightly against her neck as if chilled.

Kogami narrowed his eyes. _Yep, definitely should have killed the bastard._

The Enforcer slipped the knot of his tie and tossed it over the black suit jacket on the back of his couch. "You should have been home hours ago."

"About that." Akane turned to face him, her eyes welling with tears.

"Afraid to go home? According to Ginoza, you shouldn't be. Masaoka bagged two of the bad guys that were sending you death threats. Kagari bagged another; and I managed to bring down the last one. They're all tucked away in an isolation facility across town."

"Mr. Ginoza thinks I'm being paranoid."

"What's your gut telling you?"

"That this was just another probe, a test of the MWPSB's response. It's nothing more than a ploy to lower my guard. The real attack is yet to come."

"Okay." Kogami crossed his arms over his chest. "What's the next play?"

"As long as I stay here in the building, it won't end. I have to go home, sooner or later. I need to flush them out and put a stop to it once and for all."

"So, what's stopping you?" He leaned back against the couch. "Ginoza?"

"Resources. I could take a Dominator home with me, but signing one out would alert Ginoza. The last thing I need is another lecture. Or worse, him filing a report about my inability to work as an Inspector."

"And if you're right? If the bad guys come calling?"

"But if I'm wrong, it just gives him ammunition to say that I really _am_ delusional."

"He said that?"

"That exact word," she replied in disbelief. "Mr. Kogami, I am anything but delusional!"

The color was returning to her cheeks. It was a good sign. Akane was a fighter, a thinker, as well as an overbearing optimist. Ginoza took significant pleasure in undermining her because of that inexperience and cheery disposition. Kogami felt his heart quicken and his hands ball into fists. He hated when Ginoza was cruel to her, but some battles were meant to be fought alone.

"So, that brings you back to other resources. Options?"

"I need to do something less conspicuous." Akane looked up for the first time and met his eyes. Never one to let formality stand in the way of principle, she popped the question. "I was wondering if you would come home with me?"

"Now you're talking like a real detective. The safest huntsman is the one with a hunting hound at her feet." He snatched up the tie and wrapped it around his collar before shrugging into his jacket.

"You'll come home with me?"

"If you smell something amiss, I do, too. The hell with Ginoza." Kogami flipped his collar up and adjusted his tie. "If nothing happens, he's none the wiser. No one is." He flipped the collar back down and pulled his jacket collar over it. "But if the bad guys do make an appearance, I'll be there. End of story."

"I'll have a car ready for us in the underground garage."

Kogami tapped a Spinel cigarette from the packet. Lighting the cigarette, he took a deep draw and savored the bitter taste in the back of his throat. "Then why do you look so spooked?"

"What if Ginoza finds out?"

"We were discussing a case. Can't really explain why we were at your place. We just were. It got late. You were tired from our last investigation, not to mention injured. It's not like you can just send an Enforcer home alone, right? I slept on the couch."

"You're a good man, Shinya Kogami." For the first time since the night's investigation, she managed a slight smile.

"Save it for my funeral. Let's get you home."

They drove in silence for the entire ride to Akane's apartment complex. Kogami sat behind the wheel as the navigation system took them on course. Hands behind his head, he pretended to be aloof, while staring at her from the corner of his eye. While she seemed relieved to be with him, her usual demeanor was diminished.

 _Exhaustion_ , he told himself, _and fear. Should have killed that perp._

If he had anything to do with it, tonight would be the last she lived in fear for her life from this group of latent criminals. They called themselves the PWO: the People's Watch Organization. Anarchists, they had caused a good deal of mayhem across the city. A growing list of graffiti, vandalism, and cyber-threats were enough to attract the MWPSB's attention. The ensuing investigation turned up a handful of miscreants who were unhappy with the status quo and looking to make noise, the wrong kind of noise, according to the Sibyl System.

Akane spearheaded the initial investigation that brought most of the foot soldiers of the PWO in for therapy in sanctioned facilities. While the main ringleaders were still at large, the group had been deemed disorganized by Ginoza's flippant observations. Therefore, they were no further threat; however, Akane had only cracked open a small cell. There were dozens of others across the city. It did not take long for them to regroup with death threats against Inspector Tsunemori and a cyber smear campaign against the Ministry of Welfare. The threats, considered idle by Ginoza and Chief Kasei, became realization when a small parcel bomb detonated outside the doors of the CID office. While no one was seriously hurt, it put Akane and MWPSB squarely in the crosshairs.

"This is my apartment." Akane reached for the ID lock, but Kogami gently took her by the arm to stop her. "What? It's locked."

"Then unlock it, but I go in first. Stay in the corridor. If anything goes down, you get out and call for back up." He grit his teeth as the fear returned to her eyes. "It's just a precaution, Inspector."

"Right." She stepped back and let him get in front of her as the door opened.

"Welcome home, Akane Tsunemori!"

Kogami's first reaction was defense. He swung his arms up to defend his face, while placing his body squarely in the door to protect Akane.

"Deactivate home assistant!" The color in Akane's cheeks now was from utter embarrassment. "Sorry. I forgot about Candy. Did she startle you, Mr. Kogami?"

"Even an Enforcer can't do much against a hologram. The joys of living alone?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Stay here."

Kogami pulled the stun baton from his pocket. With a quick jerk of his wrist, he fully extended the wand and brandished it in an underhand defensive style as he ventured into the apartment. Despite the home assistant being deactivated, the interior lights came on with a soft warm glow that filled the living room with illumination. His discerning eyes were not at ease with the apparent quiet.

He carefully inspected a small, open coat room and then moved from room to room until he was satisfied that there was no one on the premises. "Clear!" The Enforcer was not completely certain, but he didn't want Akane standing unattended in the corridor. He finished his search of the apartment with a cursory scowl, and then was reminded of his ill manners when Akane paused to remove her shoes in the vestibule just inside the door.

"Sorry," he apologized, neatly putting his shoes besides her.

"You've nothing to be sorry for, Mr. Kogami. You were on the scent. There wasn't time for house etiquette." She smiled, genuinely, and went to the kitchen. "May I offer you something? A snack? Tea?"

"Tea, maybe, but later." He scratched his head, still embarrassed by his lack of manners. "Why don't you try and get some rest?"

"Shower first. I'm starting to smell like the duck pond at my grandmother's old house." She pulled open a linen closet and retrieved a pillow and a wool blanket. Laying them on the couch, she offered him an appreciative smile. "I can't thank you enough, Mr. Kogami."

"Save it," he said curtly. "The night's still young."

"Good night, Mr. Kogami."

"Rest easy, Inspector. Nothing's going to happen to you on my watch."

"I appreciate that." She slipped into the bathroom and closed the sliding doors behind her.

Kogami watched the shadow of her feet moving from the threshold and listened to the sound of her clothing falling to the floor as she tossed them to the side. He made a mental note for himself. The doors were solid oak, a good fallback point in case of a home intrusion.

The main apartment door was steel. It could be breached, but only with great force and noise. Not the mode of a would-be assassin. If anyone was getting into her apartment, they would have to hack the control panel. Akane's home assistant, while annoying, might raise an alarm, but Kogami was confidant that hacking into the security system would certainly override and disable it from functioning.

Examining a wooden umbrella stand near the door, Kogami picked it up and nodded. The weight of was just right. Putting it back on the floor, he gave it a push and was satisfied with the grating noise it made as he moved it. He placed the stand just behind the entrance. Its presence would be enough to be discounted as an afterthought by an intruder, but close enough to sound warning of the intrusion.

The only other area of concern was a large window on the west side of the apartment. It was an unusual feature only because most modern apartments used wall holography to bring any design the homeowner could imagine into reality, complete with windows. Kogami stared through the glass and imagined Akane standing in the same spot with a warm cup of tea, looking out into the nightscape of the city.

The window, he realized, was actually a safety measure. Beyond it was a small, metal balcony, a fire escape, leading ten stories down to the pavement. While Akane often seemed to have her head in the clouds, she was above all things, practical. A high-tech maglock with an alarm kept the window secure from any outside entry. Kogami smiled to find an old-fashion, low tech solution as a back up. A weathered broom handle, cut down to size sat inside the groove. Without breaking the glass, there was no way to open the window from the outside.

 _Clever girl._

Slipping the knot from his tie, he left it hanging across his chest and sat down on the couch. The high back of the couch faced the entrance to the apartment, so if an intruder did come in, they would not notice his presence right away. Kogami pulled off his jacket and laid it across the closest arm. As couches went, it was comfy enough. If he had to spend the night away from his own bed, it would be a decent replacement. Grabbing the pillow, he placed it behind his head and stretched out, his long legs taking up the space.

Eyes closed, he pretended to be dozing when the bathroom door opened again. The air in the living room changed as the moist air from the bathroom mixed with it. He heard the soft padding of Akane's feet as she walked across the living room to turn down the lights. Though he felt her eyes on him, she never paused until she got to the bedroom. "Good night, Mr. Kogami," she whispered. There was a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

"Good night, Inspector Tsunemori," he replied.

"Ever watchful, aren't you?"

"Ever faithful." He smiled to hear the life return to her voice. Shortly thereafter, he heard the bedroom door close behind her. "Sleep tight, Akane," he whispered.

Kogami sat up, his eyes adjusting to the dimness. He wanted a cigarette in the worst way, but wasn't ready to compound his rudeness as an invited guest. Searching the kitchen counters, he saw a decorative jar of toothpicks and went to retrieve one before returning to the comfort of the couch. At that moment, her bedroom door opened. He could barely see her silhouette as it retreated into the darkness, followed by the sound of rustling sheets. The base contentment of his life as a latent criminal, even as an Enforcer, weighed heavily on his chest. It was a very cold, very lonely moment.

Rolling the toothpick from one corner of his mouth to the other, he set to work on a recent investigation and its case files. He put his wristcom on the coffee table and accessed the MWPSB server. If Akane's gut feeling proved wrong and Ginoza did find out about his little sleepover, Kogami would need evidence to clear her of any wrongdoing. That, or he would be forced to push Ginoza down a flight of stairs to keep him from yelling at her. He smiled wickedly imagining the look on Ginoza's face as he became weightless, if only for a moment.

Some hours later curiosity got the better of Kogami. As he paced the apartment awaiting any intrusion, he paused by Akane's bedroom door and peered in at her. Exhaustion had fully laid claim to her. Dressed in an MWPSB t-shirt, she slept among a mountain of colored pillows and stuffed animals. At one point, he heard a distinct, whistling snore. She talked in her sleep, too, chiding Ginoza for calling her paranoid and then in the next breath arguing with friends over the perfect color for her shoes.

Their most recent investigation had been a long one. Kogami was working well into 36 hours without sleep. Yearning for that cup of tea, he went into the kitchen to make some. He found a mug in the dry rack and read the wording on the side: That which needs to be done is carried out by those capable. That came as no surprise, and he shook his head while the water heated. As he stirred sugar into the steaming tea, he heard muffled sounds of distress coming from Akane's bedroom.

In the grip of a nightmare, Akane thrashed in her bed, fighting an assailant that only she could see. She cried out in fury as she struggled to fight off the phantasm. Pillows, stuffed animals, and blankets were thrown to the floor in the battle. Kogami almost went into the bedroom to shake her free of the nightmare, but propriety rooted him right to the spot at the threshold of her door.

Before he could think to shout her name and rouse her, Akane gasped his name loudly in terror and sat up. "Kogami!"

When their eyes meant, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"What happened?" She was breathing deeply, labored, one hand clasped against her heaving chest.

"You were having a nightmare." He leaned against the doorframe, still holding the mug of tea.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

There was no good answer to give except the truth, delivered with a smug grin. "I have the free run of a young woman's apartment while she sleeps. I'd have thought the bedroom was out of bounds."

She laughed and bowed her head.

"If our colleagues do get wind of this, Kagari will never forgive me for not going through your underwear drawer."

Labored breathing became laughter that shook her shoulders and restored the color to her face and the energy to her eyes.

"Made some tea." He showed her the mug. "Might help you sleep."

"Yes, please." As he turned to leave, she shouted, "Hey, where are you going?"

"You wanted some tea."

"You have a mug right there."

Eyes wide with understanding, he nodded. "Ah, I've already sampled this. Might be a bit sweet for your tastes."

"Doesn't matter. I like sweet things." She stared at him for a long, awkward moment. "What are you waiting for?"

"Permission."

She crossed her arms over her chest, barely containing her laughter. "Mr. Kogami, you have permission to enter my bedroom for the purpose of sharing your tea and waking me up from any nightmares."

"Yes, ma'am." Kogami stepped into the room and, with both hands, carefully handed her the hot tea. He sat down on the corner of a nearby nightstand with a bemused look.

"This is delicious!"

"Glad you like it. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Seriously? You can cook?"

She was back to her old self, despite the bruise and cut above her right eye and the swelling in the fingers of her hand. Injuries that would heal in time. He was more concerned about the deeper, emotional wounds.

"Masaoka says I have potential."

"Chocolate chip pancakes."

"Done!" He took the tea from her and straightened the sheets over her legs. "You get back to sleep. I'll wake you up at, say 6:00?"

Her earlier excitement faded. Reluctantly, she curled back into her pillows.

"What's wrong?"

"Could you stay here with me? Until I fall asleep?"

Kogami felt a pang of sorrow stab at his heart. "I'm not going anywhere." He sat back down on the nightstand.

"And if I have another nightmare—"

"Not while I'm here."

Akane smiled, as he raised the sheets to her chin. "Thank you, Mr. Kogami."

"My pleasure, Inspector."

Ten minutes later the soft whistle of her snores could be heard rising above the snout of a yellow Tyrannosaurus Rex. With a chuckle under his breath, Kogami took a sip of his tea and returned to his case files in the living room.


End file.
